Chinggis Khan has been gone for centuries, but his spirit
undoubtedly lives on in Mongolia. Empire-building is in the cultural
DNA here.

Mongolians know that they’re sitting on trillions of dollars worth
of valuable resources, and that the economy is undergoing a rapid
transformation. You can see it in their eyes… the energy, the buzz.

Bear in mind that Mongolia is an incredibly young country. The average age is mid-20s, and it’s common to see younger people in
positions of significant influence. I dined with a director of the local
stock exchange yesterday and doubt he was even 35. Same with the bank
executives that I met.

This relative youth infuses the local economy with tremendous drive,
energy, and creativity. These people don’t want to sit back and watch
the economic boom happen; they want to be at the forefront of their
country’s emergence into the developed world. And they know the time is
now.

One of the most striking things about Mongolians is that they know they can’t do it alone. They want foreign capital… and expertise.